Maine Solar Easement Rights and Laws
Maine law protects your right to install and use a solar energy device, including a clothesline or drying rack, on residential property you own, even against HOA rules and municipal ordinances adopted after September 30, 2009. Renters keep the right to use a clothesline or drying rack. To protect your sunlight, you can create a written solar easement that is recorded like other real property conveyances, though reasonable limits for safety, historic or aesthetic values, shorelands, and common areas can still apply.
Customers who own their homes can generally install solar devices such as PV, solar water heating, and space heating despite newer local ordinances or HOA rules, which helps you address objections to projects. Rules may still reasonably restrict installations to protect public health and safety, buildings, historic or aesthetic values (if a comparable alternative exists), and shorelands, and they may limit devices in condominium common areas or commonly owned property. For customers who want long-term sun access, solar easements must be in writing, recorded and indexed, and appurtenant, running with the land.
This is a statutory solar access policy rather than a funded incentive, and it applies to municipal ordinances, bylaws, and regulations adopted after September 30, 2009 as well as HOA rules. These instruments may not prohibit solar energy devices on owner-held residential property, and they protect renters' clotheslines and drying racks, while allowing reasonable restrictions for health and safety, historic or aesthetic values, shoreland zoning, and commonly owned property. Municipal reviewing authorities may use subdivision regulations such as restrictive covenants, height limits, and setbacks to protect sunlight, and solar easements must be written, recorded, appurtenant, and subject to court-decreed abandonment, targeting residential and multifamily owners.
Program details
- Program ID
- 3455
- Last updated
- 1/3/2026
Eligibility
- Sectors
- residential multifamily residential
- Technologies
- solar - passive solar water heat solar space heat solar photovoltaics solar pool heating
Program summary
Maine law requires that any municipal ordinance, bylaw, or regulation adopted after September 30, 2009 regulating solar energy devices on residential property follow certain requirements. The rules, bylaws, and regulations of homeowner associations (HOAs) must also follow these requirements. Specifically, these legal instruments may not prohibit a person from installing or using a solar energy device (including a clothesline or drying rack) on residential property owned by that person. In the case of a leased/rented property, the policy protects the renter's right to use a clothesline or drying rack.
The municipal reviewing authority may, to protect and ensure access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems, prohibit, restrict or control development through subdivision regulations. The regulations may call for subdivision development plans containing restrictive covenants, height restrictions, side yard and set-back requirements or other permissible forms of land use controls.
Ordinances, bylaws, or regulations may reasonably restrict the installation and use of solar energy devices to protect public health and safety, buildings from damage, historic/aesthetic values (when a comparable alternative is available), and to protect shorelands (under shoreland zoning provisions). Legal instruments may restrict the use of solar energy devices on residential property that is commonly owned with third parties or in the common areas of condominiums.
Maine allows for the creation of solar easements for the purpose of ensuring access to direct sunlight. They must be created in writing and shall be recorded and indexed in the same way as other conveyances of real property interests. Solar easements must be appurtenant and run with the land benefited and burdened, and are subject to court decreed abandonment and other limitations provided by law.
Contact & resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
